Dark Ages The Ultimate Assassin
by Gamingmaster
Summary: This is an original story that I started a few years ago and thought it would be cool to show it to the world before it was finished.
1. Chapter 1

**Dark Ages**

By GamingMaster

Prologue

The year 573 A.D.

A young baby girl was born in a small village in what is now modern day France.

Her name was Ember Rose. Her father was a Frankish man who was one of the most highly talented and recommended assassins of his time. He and his wife Rose settled down in Frankish territory shortly before the fall of the Western Roman Empire. The assassin trade was one of the highest paying jobs in the current world. Because of the constant feuds between princes, chief, and city-kings assassins were always needed. One man would hire an assassin while his enemy would try to hire a better one to take out him out first. Many leaders died from the shadowy warriors. However, Ember's father was a different assassin.

Ember's ancestor was actually from the Far East, a ninja that lived on the island of Japan he was framed for a crime and banished from his clan. Instead of joining his enemy the samurai he left Japan to explore the world. He later then married and settled in the Western Roman Empire hired for his great talent. As the generations passed, his descendants were taught the same skills and later married Europeans. Every child was taught that the secrets of the ninja were only to remain in their home and only to be taught by their descendants. If they were to have multiple descendants only the oldest was to learn the secret art.

Ember however, was an only child her mother died from a disease when she was only three. Her father did the best he could to support the young girl and never remarried. He did this to protect his family's secrets and for Ember's safety. When she was five Ember started to learn the family traits that her father possessed.  
Ember was an incredible learner, she learned skills that were far beyond her age. By age eleven she could already sneak past her father's eagle eye and take down a hidden target. She could track a deer on a rainy day, she seemed like the one thing her entire family worked on for generations…the title of Ultimate Assassin.

She also had secret weapons to help her, as the years passed and the Western Roman Empire fell, Ember's family adapted to the weapons of their time. However, there was one weapon they always kept, one weapon they kept secret from the rest of the western world.

The katana.

A single edged blade that could carve through enemies like butter, what made it better for the assassins was the fact that it was light and portable. Only 29 inches long it wasn't the biggest blade but it was certainly the best. When she was training, Ember used shorter version called a ninjito. This blade was only 26 inches long but does the same things a katana could do only smaller for trainees. The knife of choice however for the assassins was the tanto. A small 4 inch blade could easily be hid in the folds of a robe, strapped underneath a sleeve or in a shoe it was also like the katana but much smaller. The assassins also had some Hun in them. They learned how to make the composite bow, a small multi-curved bow that could shoot far but with a small frame, it was perfect for long range assassination.

By the age of 14 Ember had mastered the katana, the tanto, and the composite bow. She could outshoot any archer, outfight any solider and out sneak anyone in her village.

However a Celtic raid killed many villagers, because of the remote location the village did not have many soldiers.

Many people were killed, including Ember's father.

Now she lives alone, trusting no one she is set to get money, find work, and become what her father always wanted her to be: The Ultimate Assassin.

Chapter 1

Ember sat in a tree overlooking a village, it was small and out of the way her client wanted the chief there dead. So that's what she was going to do at first her client, a chief named Calhan, was more than hesitant to hire a female assassin. But after looking over her reputation he decided to go with what he had.

Ember would not let him down, after all this was a job. Her father always taught her three basic laws of the family.

One, never harm an innocent. At first Ember thought this was a contradicting the family's work but when her father told her it meant don't kill anyone you don't have to. Keep casualties to a minimum, not only does it give her a sense of honor but it also keeps detection lower. Instead of always killing a person you come across sneak by them and eliminate the chance of someone finding a dead body and raising the alarm.

Two, always keep learning. Although he knew Ember couldn't possible know everything, he drilled into her to always come up with new original ideas, tactics that might help her in the future.

Three, trust no one outside the family. That one seemed easy enough she already had mastered that one. However her father also taught her not to always deny an offer of friendship. More allies meant more chance of success. However the more allies also meant the more chance of detection in a job. So Ember decided to eliminate any chance of trust and to keep being a solo assassin. Although on the outside she was a very attractive girl, she was only 17 she knew she turned many young male heads when she walked through a village or town in disguise as a peasant.  
Somewhat short and thin she had curly blond hair that went to her shoulders it seemed to shine in the sun making more beautiful. Her face was slightly pale, but pleasant when she wanted it to be. Her blue-gray eyes shone like twin stars, but underneath they were as cold as ice. To those she knew, which was almost no one, she was hot-headed and tough as iron. Able to take down men almost twice her size Ember was a master fighter. She didn't look the part but she definitely knew how to handle herself in a tough situation.

She wore her katana on her back usually under her cloak, with her bow right next to it and her quiver making an X across her sword sheathe. She had four tanto, one on her waist in the back, one strapped to each thigh under her short skirt with the final in her shoe. She only used the shoe tanto when she was captured or when she was in disguise.

Ember dressed in a simple blue short skirt that ended just below her knees she also had black shorts underneath she wore a black short-sleeved shirt. She also always had a dark green cloak that would hide her in the night. But it was short enough so it wouldn't snag on the ground or get caught easily. She also wore a bandanna, a simple dark green piece of cloth that could be slipped over her nose to prevent anyone from knowing her face. Her shoe of choice was a simple black riding boot that went halfway up her shin.

Now Ember got down from her perch after studying her terrain it was hilly true enough but also wooded close to the fort. Most chiefs couldn't build castles due to the amount of stone needed and the time it consumed. But many built forts as a better defense. Ember walked around the village keeping an eye out for sentries, anyone would be suspicious of someone walking around at night. Although she had a million and one lies to say she still didn't want to be detected. She was about a hundred feet from the fort _this would be easy_ she thought.

"Halt who goes there?" a sentry shouted.

Ember froze she turned to the direction of the sentry, she gulped silently she would have to dispatch him before-

"I was just out looking for my dog," a child's voice said.

Ember breathed out silently, _that was close_ she thought.

She turned back to her destination and reached the forts pitiful palisade walls. The wooden walls were more than just pitiful she decided they were downright stupid. Anyone could set fire to them in a number of places and the sentries would be in so much confusion it would be pathetic.

Just as she finished the thought an idea sprung to her head.

She went into the forest she would need to be something from there first…

A sentry walked on the low palisade's on his chief's fort, he sighed, honestly he didn't really see why his chief wanted him here it's not like anything could get past the town sentries. After all what is there to be afraid of? He had the largest band in these parts of the country, why would anyone want to attack him?  
The sentry settled on his spear, a few hours of sleep before anyone woke up wouldn't hurt.

In a few minutes he was fast asleep, but little did he realize that was the biggest mistake of his life…and his last.

Ember made six small piles of wood at the base of the walls, in two sets of three, one set was set at the east wall eight feet from each other, Ember had a long thin string-like fuse going about thirty feet. She also had another set of three at the north wall, opposite from the town, again each pile of wood eight feet away from each other, with a long string-like fuse however this one was forty feet instead of thirty.

She set the longer fuse on the pile she was currently at she did this so that each pile of wood would start burning at nearly the same time. She lit the forty foot fuse, the fuse didn't give off a bright flash or any smoke but it burned well.

She then moved like a wraith through the forest, and set off the other fuse. She then backtracked and went to the west wall watching the piles of wood at the northern side.

If she didn't know the fuses were there she would never had seen them. Because of the somewhat long grass they were hidden quite well. She smiled grimly to herself, this was too easy.

She took off her composite bow, she saw the three wood piles light at first it seemed the piles would only burn and not the walls, and then the fire caught to the palisade.

She tensed her bow, as she focused on the only sentry he was sleeping slouching on the highest point in the wall, right above the gate. At night it would have been a difficult shot but he had a torch nearby giving her some light to see him, he was barely a hundred meters away. An easy shot for someone at her skill level the bow spat the arrow at her target. The instant she released she knew it was a kill shot, she reloaded just as the sentry fell to the outside of the wooden wall with a slight thud.

Ember saw the three fires now spreading along the palisade, she was actually quite shocked that no on had smelt or heard them already.

"Fire! Fire! Someone help there's a fire!" a voice screamed from the inside.

Ember raised an eyebrow, "spoke too soon," she said quietly.

Just as Ember predicted the whole fort was in pure chaos soldiers came out of the barracks screaming, people came out of the small houses trying to put out the flames, however due to the amount of running people hardly any water made it there. All the other water was spilled due to tripping or people running into each other.

Ember's target, a man named Cashin, came out he had no armor on nor a weapon he was actually was bare from the waist up.  
"An easy target" Ember said to herself.

She drew back her bow, he was barking out orders like most chiefs do but actually doing almost no work.

He was on the wall right over a fire, Ember released the arrow it pierced his chest right between he over muscled ribs and into his heart.

Cashin didn't know what hit him until he looked down with a stricken look on his face and fell right into the largest of the fires.

Ember saw him fall in despite all the chaos; she turned and walked away her mission complete.

After the fire was put out, over half the fort was ash, 42 people were killed or wounded from the fire, and Cashin wasn't found. They garrison believed he fell into the fire and was burned to death. No one even thought that an assassin not only burnt half the fort but killed their leader. One of Ember's greatest strengths was that she would use the easiest ways to take out her target and not even be suspected.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Ember walked back into her client's fort, he was the neighboring chief, she walked up to him, he was muscular, tall, and rather handsome but none of that mattered to her she didn't want a man in her life besides he already a wife so she really didn't care anyway.

"Cashin is dead," she bluntly to him.  
"Excellent," said her client, "I also heard there was a fire at the fort."

"Yes," she said.

"Did you have anything to do with that?" he asked.

She smiled evilly, "perhaps."  
Her client returned the evil smile, "I could you use you a lot more often."  
She smiled, "keep the pay up and you can."  
He nodded, "I'm called Kilent, how much did I owe you again?"  
"One thousand gold" she said.

"A steep sum but worth every penny," he said motioning a nearby man to bring up a bag of money.

"Why did you ask me if you already knew," asked Ember.  
"To see if you were honest," he said, "I know now I can trust that you are an honest assassin."  
She shrugged, "don't count on _all_ my colleges to be honest."  
"I know," Kilent said, "that's why I tested you."  
She nodded, "I'll be off then I suppose you kept my horse safe?"  
He nodded, "of course I didn't want you killing _me_ in the night."  
She smiled and said sarcastically, "cause we all know that daytime is when all assassin work."

He grinned at her jibe, "See you later Ember."  
She turned her horse around and rode out the fort quickly with her money.

Ember rode around Frankish territory, she stopped at a town tavern, and taverns were the best place to find work. Someone from a rich man to a chief was either there or someone representing them was there to hire assassins.

She sat a table, drinking a non-alcoholic beer, made from roots, she thought it was good. Very few taverns had it which was only the busy ones. Which made this one very good not only on her taste buds but on her work as well. She preferred non-alcoholic drinks so she wouldn't get drunk and be stupid or have the nasty hangover the next day. She knew she had to stay on her guard ever second of the day or night.

A man approached her on the outside she looked totally unprepared and careless but in reality she could kill someone in less than a second.

He approached her, "what are you doing her woman?"

She looked at him, "enjoying my drink thanks."  
He grinned, "Why don't you and I go out for a little while."  
She raised an eyebrow, "what would make you think I'm interested?"

The man flexed his muscles, she had to admit he had a lot of them, "because I think you will like what I have for you."  
She looked as if she was thinking about it, she shrugged, "why not?" she said dryly.

But Ember didn't do this at all, she knew this man was no slouch, he was an assassin she guessed his tactic was going in as a mercenary and then killing his target when they least expected it. He was sent to take her out no two ways about it.

When they reached outside of the bar, she heard a slight _hiss_ of a knife being drawn he was behind her shutting the tavern door.

She stopped didn't even turn around as her katana seemed to leap out of it's sheath as it sliced into his knife wrist then as he backed up to the door to try to get away from her she brought the razor sharp blade on his bald skull.

She stepped over his carcass, and back into the tavern a few people looked at her as she walked back in, "which is why I hate men" she muttered then stared daggers at them. They instantly turned away afraid of what she might do to them. She smiled she didn't like to draw attention, but it was kind of nice being treated higher than these losers that called themselves men.

She shook her head, _men can't live with them can definitely live without them_ she thought.

Just then another man walked up to her but he wasn't big or muscular he was actually somewhat small and lean.  
She raised an eyebrow; _didn't he just see what happened to that other man?_

"What do you want?" she said rudely.

He smiled, "I need an assassin, and I think you are the one for the job."  
"I'm listening," she said.  
"My master wants a rival …removed. I think you can deal with it don't you think so?"  
"Why would I be interested?" Ember said she knew that she had to play hard to get to get the most money out of a job.

"What if I told you the reward was fifty thousand?"  
Ember's eye widened slightly, "well he must be desperate for that kind of sum."

The man smiled, "come with me and you can speak to my prince yourself."  
she smiled, "after you sir."

Ember traveled with the prince's secretary which so happened to be his cousin which to Ember was no surprise. Unstable positions were always given to relatives not only was it easy to con someone but easier to control.

Ember arrived at the prince's castle which surprised her the most, but then she realized that it was an old Roman castle, just preserved and modified to suit the prince's taste. But she admitted it was well done.

"His lordship has a castle?" Ember asked his secretary.

"Yes, his father built it," the secretary said.

"It looks Roman," she said simply.

"Yes we captured it under his father; we rebuilt it and have kept it from invaders for quite a while."  
Ember actually admired it greatly, built on a short steep hill the only easy access into it was by the stairwell which for an attacking army was a deathtrap. Arrows and spears could be poured onto the enemy with little effort. It also had a bridge spanning a small gap between another hill another easy access but she saw two massive towers there as well. Both entrances had paved streets of stone.

"How did you ever capture something like that?" she asked.

The secretary smiled, "it was brilliant, first his lordship actually didn't lose a man. He faked an attack on a Roman senator that demanded aid. The Roman general in charge was foolish enough to bring the entire garrison so we just walked in and well took the castle when the false attack discovered and the Roman general came back he saw the gates locked and us in the castle with the entire village's provisions in there too. He then attacked us but we fought back all the attacks and after 2 weeks he gave up and moved on."

She shook her head, "how is his lordship with tactics?"

"He's even better than his father," the secretary boasted, "he took down an entire army of invaders without them even touching either gate."

She raised an eyebrow, "surely you are exaggerating."  
"No, they actually were the most foolish invaders we've ever had they just charged the gate with a makeshift ram. When they got to a certain point between the castle and village we shot flaming arrows at the oil soaked paths and well they burned to death, an easy but clever victory for his lordship."

Ember raised an eyebrow, "he certainly is good at that I suppose his father was proud that he was his first-born."  
The secretary laughed, "actually his lordship isn't the first born, he's the second born. His older brother actually abdicated said he didn't want lordship, he works as the prince's assassin."

Ember shook her head, "how old is the prince?"  
"he's seventeen," the secretary said, "his older brother is only two minutes older they are twins but nothing alike. They look relatively the same but actually his lordship is an upstanding, popular, wants to be in the open person, while his brother is a shadowy mystery that well not even _I _have figured out yet."

"Sound like my kind of man," Ember said jokingly, "by the way what is his lordship's name?"  
"Aldan, while his brother is Kamen I doubt you will see his brother though no one but the prince has seen him for almost a year."

"Well if the prince has his brother why hire me?" Ember asked.

"Well, Kamen is actually away in Teutonic territory on secret business, and well Prince Aldan, needs someone to dispose of his rival. We have a suspicion that his rival is going to attack soon. But without their leader they won't Aldan likes to avoid conflict if at all possible."  
Ember and the secretary reached the gate of the castle, the doors opened with a signal from the secretary.  
Ember walked into the main hall, it was large and open with high ceilings. On a throne Ember saw the prince with piles of paper no doubt paperwork that constantly plagued many rulers like Aldan.

The secretary walked up and bowed, "my lord the assassin you asked for."  
Aldan stood up, he was on the shorter side but still taller than Ember by about 5 inches, he had brown perfect hair and piercing blue eyes, he was dressed in green clothing with silver shoulder plates, he wore a Roman gladius on his belt. A two and a half foot straight sword with a circular goblet like handle, it wasn't the most decorated sword but in the hands of a skilled swordsman a fearsome weapon.

"Oh Alexander please don't be like that you know I don't like to stand on ceremony unless it's a ceremony of course."  
Ember smiled at the little joke, "you must be Aldan sir."  
Aldan nodded and smiled, his smile was warm and welcoming, "yes I am I'm sure Alexander told you about your mission."  
Ember shook her head, "no he mostly told me about yourself and your brother."  
Aldan nodded, "well I'm sure you know that you are after my rival and the reward is 50,000 gold."  
Ember smiled, "yes I know that but where does he live? Is it a castle or fort? How many soldiers does he have? I usually need to know that where the target lives but any information is helpful."  
"He doesn't live in a fort or castle he lives in caves at the bottom of the mountains near here. He has about two hundred or so soldiers most of which are cavalry, so be careful."

Ember nodded, "It doesn't matter how many soldiers he has none will know who killed him by the way do you have any silent horses by any chance?"

"Yes my brother has two, he took one but left one here he told me to lend it to you if you needed it, he trained the horse himself. The horse already knows me so it will listen, but it's as silent as a shadow don't worry he will aid you well."  
Ember nodded, "thank you it will be excellent to make my escape I don't want to be caught on foot with horsemen around."

That night Ember set off to the mountains, her new horse was friendly and likeable. She might ask to keep it for 20,000 but if they wanted more, then she would just have to do without. She really needed no less than 30,000 this was her biggest payday ever and she didn't want to spend it all on a horse no matter how well trained it was.

Ember arrived at the mountains around dusk, she set the horse about a hundred or so meters away from the entrance of the meadow.

Her target's domain was actually a system of caves in a U shaped canyon and incredibly easy defensive area for attackers, able to fire arrows or hurl stones from every direction any army would be totally open for attack on many angles, while the defenders would be able to hit without receiving any return fire.

Ember went up the cliff at the entrance of the U, upon reaching the top she saw a sentry looking in the same direction where she was. If she stood up actually he couldn't miss seeing her, any movement could alert him. Her mind raced if she went down she could get caught if she went up she definitely would get caught. She paused then slowly reached for her bow on her back strung and ready to use, she never traveled without it strung for emergencies like this. She slowly, silently took out an arrow and notched it to the string pulling it back slowly until it was at half draw she knew the small powerful would kill the unarmored man at only half draw at this distance. He was barely ten feet away. As she aimed she realized that the man was drunk and asleep, she was so concentrated on disposing of him that she missed the horrible smell of alcohol that radiated off the man like light off a candle.

Ember rolled her eyes men were so predictable, well with the exception of Aldan who she had to admit if his brother was anything like him she would be attracted to.

She silently moved around him then she took her katana and knocked him out. Afterward she moved around the rocks and found the chief's cave she knew from the decorations that it had and the two guards at the entrance, she took out two tanto and climbed to a ledge above them, the dropped down in between them and dispatched them both with a stab to the throat, cleaning off the blades she snuck into the chief's tent there he was on a large bed made of pillows with a what was left of dinner around him. She allowed herself a quick glance and the remnants of the meal and well to say the least she wasn't all that fond of what was all over the place. She was actually quite surprised that a man like him was a chief.

Fat and ugly he was bare from waist up like most barbarian chiefs and painted on his round stomach with strange pagan designs. She would be more than happy to take this lazy idiot out. Drawing her katana slowly with barely a hiss she raised for the killing blow…

When the chief shot up with his sword and blocked her slash!

Taken by surprise Ember froze, the fat man smiled, "think you could take me out assassin?"  
Ember still didn't say anything, and then she heard him yelling "Guards guards! I'm under attack!"

Reacting quickly Ember swung her sword in a lightning fast diagonal cut that cleaved through his ribs like air killing him on the spot. She then ran to the cave's entrance only to run into three guards! Her katana was still out and bloody she quickly dispatched them and ran for the cliffs were she left the knocked out soldier. She was almost there when she saw him rising to his feet, "oh no, not good" she muttered to herself.

He saw her and immediately started yelling, "Assassin! Assassin!" but before he could point out her location she took him out with a tanto by throwing the small knife embedding it in his throat.

The first light of dawn started to creep into the mountain and other sentries saw her, she quickly grabbed the sentries spear and jumped off the cliff. When she was about halfway down she slammed the spear into the cliff side slowing down her decent, by the time she stopped she was only a meter from the ground. She let go of the spear dropping to the ground, she quickly ran to her horse and instantly mounted "to the castle!" she muttered to it.

It simply tossed its head then charged off in the direction of the castle, Ember turned around and twelve horsemen were following her.

Taking out her bow she dropped the one to the left of the leader while her horse headed to for the woods, she then reloaded and dropped another, but it was useless. When they reached the woods the horsemen split up and came at her from every direction. She shot down another but then the unthinkable happened.

Her bowstring snapped!

Thinking quickly she put her bow in her quiver then drew her katana, knowing she'd have to face the horsemen she only hoped that they came at her in ones and twos.

She slashed the first man down quickly but just as he fell another two came up at her with a rope between them at neck height, her was thrown from her saddle and thudded to the ground, and then the horsemen whipped her horse in the rump causing it to run away in panic.

Ember got to her feet with her katana ready as the first came at her she slashed the horse's feet and he fell to the ground with another coming at her she moved out of the way and slew the first with a quick thrust of her sword.

The second came at her she moved to the side as he rode past and before he could turn around she threw a tanto into the back of his neck. She grabbed her tanto and was about to mount the horse when she heard another horseman behind her. She turned to find a club smashing into her head then everything went black.


End file.
